2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Pennsylvania. In total, 11,477 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Pennsylvania.
Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 90 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones were the most popular programs for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Colleges.
Top 15% Most Popular Nursing Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Drexel University the most popular school in Pennsylvania for nursing students. Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Nursing majors at Drexel take out an average of $31,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $596, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Thomas Jefferson University is a great place for nursing students. Thomas Jefferson University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Nursing majors at Thomas Jefferson University take out an average of $27,852 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $537.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UPenn take out $20,861 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. PA College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lancaster.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at PA College take out is $26,106. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $297.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harrisburg Area Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the small city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public college with a large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from HACC take out $29,839 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #6, Duquesne University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Duquesne is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Duquesne carry an average student debt load of $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $648.
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University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Pitt carry an average student debt load of $24,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $319, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Community College of Allegheny County did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. CCAC is a large public school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CCAC take out is $22,851.
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Holy Family University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Holy Family is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Holy Family carry an average student debt load of $30,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $197.
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With a ranking of #10, Gwynedd Mercy University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Gwynedd Valley, Gwynedd - Mercy is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Gwynedd - Mercy take out $35,265 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $375.
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Villanova University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Villanova carry an average student debt load of $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $433, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Widener University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Widener is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Chester.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Widener accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $531.
Full Nursing at Widener University Report
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Wilkes University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #13 on the list. Wilkes is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Wilkes-Barre.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Wilkes take out is $31,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $408, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Nursing at Wilkes University Report
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Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students in the state of Pennsylvania that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | California University of Pennsylvania | California, PA |
| 15 | La Salle University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 16 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 17 | Clarion University of Pennsylvania | Clarion, PA |
| 18 | Delaware County Community College | Media, PA |
Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New York | 17,708 |
| New Jersey | 5,648 |
| Maryland | 4,104 |
| Delaware | 1,267 |
| District of Columbia | 990 |
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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